Former President Donald Trump was rushed from a rally by Secret Service agents Saturday after an apparent assassination attempt.
As he was talking to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, there were several pops, apparently gunshots, and Trump reached for the side of his head before ducking to the ground.
Secret Service agents rushed onstage and surrounded him, and he was soon on his feet again, raising his fist in a salute to the crowd despite having blood on his right ear and the side of his face. His campaign issued a statement that Trump is safe. Trump later released a statement confirming he was shot in the ear.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Saturday night that agents “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” and that one spectator was killed.
“Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated,” Guglielmi said.
Trump took to Truth Social to thank the Secret Service and law enforcement officials “for their rapid response on the shooting.”
The district attorney of Butler County, Pennsylvania, confirmed that the suspected shooter and one other person have died following the rally shooting.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) denounced the shooting and said in a statement that he had been briefed on the incident.
“Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro said. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
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President Joe Biden also condemned the shooting in an impromptu address to the nation, saying violence has “no place in America for this kind of violence.”
“It’s sick,” Biden said. “It is one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
